THEY have previously been accused of meddling with our gadgets - and now Brussels Eurocrats could see the sale of halogen light bulbs BANNED in Britain.

The popular bulb - which is sold to millions of Britons each year - could see the chop as part of the European Union's energy-saving scheme, the Daily Mail reported.

The European Commission and green campaigners claim halogens are not much more efficient than traditional bulbs and are calling for Britons to replace them with fluorescent bulbs and LEDs.

However, these alternatives could end up costing up to 15 TIMES more than halogens.

Some fluorescent bulbs can also take up to FIVE minutes to reach full brightness, while some LEDs are not compatible with dimmer switches.

A vote on the issue is due to take place in April, when the European Commission could agree to go ahead with the proposed ban in 2016 or push it back until 2018.

Consumer group Which? argued that delaying a ban could allow time for any compatibility issues with other bulbs to be fixed.

A spokesman said: "Delaying the phasing out of halogen bulbs to 2018 would allow more time for some of the compatibility and user issues to be resolved and allow a smoother transition to super-efficient domestic lighting across Europe.

"However LED and CFL bulb technology still has some way to go to fully fill the gap that would be left by a halogen bulbs ban.

"In particular, LED light bulb prices are still a little higher than is acceptable for some."

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The average halogen bulb costs around £1

The proposed move has also been blasted by a campaign group of manufacturers called LightingEurope, who said any ban should be delayed until 2020 at the earliest.

The group’s secretary general, Diederik de Stoppelaar, said: "A phase-out before 2020 is going to be costly and inconvenient to consumers.

"The industry supports the change to more energy efficient lighting... however, an earlier date does not allow for alternative developing technologies to be widely available."

Delaying the phasing out of halogen bulbs to 2018 would allow more time for some of the compatibility and user issues to be resolved

Which? consumer group

A typical halogen bulb uses 10 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs - which were recently prohibited by Brussels officials to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

In comparison, fluorescent use 60 to 80 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs while LEDs can use up to 90 per cent less.

However, while a typical 35-watt halogen spotlight costs roughly £1, a 5-watt LED will see Britons forking out anything from £5 to £15.

The managing director of British lighting company BLT Direct, Steven Ellwood, spoke out in support of the ban.

He said: "We understand the concerns of experts who want to delay the ban in order to iron out some issues.

"[But] implementing the ban sooner rather than later would see plenty of benefits for consumers, not to mention the environment."

An official response from the European Commission read: "A phase-out of some halogen lamps on 1 September 2016 was agreed by EU Member States and adopted by the European Commission in 2009.

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The EU have previously prohibited incandescent bulbs

"To re-assess the appropriateness of such phase-out, Regulation 244/2009 foresees a review of this provision before the phase-out starts to apply.

"The Commission services conducted this review starting in 2013, which showed that the phase-out date currently in the Regulation might not be the most appropriate one, because light emitting diode (LED) technology is not yet ready to fully replace halogen technology.

"The review estimates that continuing technological development, combined with further price reductions, will allow LED technology to effectively replace halogen lamps in 2018 while offering substantial monetary savings to the European consumer."

The proposed banning of the sale of halogens comes just months after Eurocrats ordered that all networked devices - including computer modems and internet-connected televisions - must switch off automatically.

At the time, Jayne Adye, of the cross-party campaign group Get Britain Out, said: “The New Year has started alarmingly, with the EU nanny-state interfering in how we run our lives yet again.

“Now it’s new electronic, internet-linked TVs and gadgets, following on from coffee machines and vacuum cleaners. Switching gadgets off according to the EU’s whims is ridiculous."

The new rules were part of the EU’s Ecodesign initiative, under which popular high-wattage vacuum cleaners were banned last year.

Strict labelling was also introduced earlier this year, meaning such appliances like gas ovens will have to display energy ratings.

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Light bulb ban is another dark day in EU meddling

THE desire of Eurocrats in Brussels to meddle in our lives shows no sign of abating.

After banning traditional incandescent light bulbs in 2012 they are now considering legislation to ban halogen light bulbs as early as next year in a futile bid to reduce the amount of energy we use.

Such rules are an affront to our freedom made all the more galling by the paucity of decent alternatives.

If those in Brussels go ahead with this absurd diktat we will be left with bulbs which are dimmer, more expensive or take an age to reach full brightness.

Just like the ban on powerful vacuum cleaners brought into force last year there is very little we can do about it if the EU does decide to press ahead.

The bureaucrats who dominate the decision-making process are without fear of rebuke from member states’ own governments or punishment at the ballot box.

As a result our Parliament and the public have to bear it as ever more unwanted and unnecessary rules are imposed.

It is in the EU’s very nature to continue crafting and passing such legislation. Eurocrats are so obsessed with expanding the power and reach of the EU they are willing to create all manner of bonkers legislation.

Only leaving the EU can restore British democracy and free us from the absurd strictures placed upon us by Brussels.